Regent Medical Centre
www.regentmedicalcentre.co.uk 22nd May 2013

Breast Screening

You should check your breasts for lumps or abnormalities a least once a month. If you notice any changes in your breasts, such as a lump, pain, discharge from the nipple or anything which looks unusual, see your GP as soon as possible.

Breast screening
  In the UK there is a national programme aimed at reducing the number of deaths from breast cancer. It is for women who have no symptoms of breast cancer.
You do not need to be referred by your doctor to be screened. The mammogram takes only a few minutes and the whole visit takes about half an hour. Services provided under the NHS breast screening programme are free.
Mammograms are currently the best way of women over 50 detecting cancer at an early stage (when treatment can be more effective). A mammogram is a low-dose X-ray of the breast. They can detect breast cancer at an early stage.
Mammograms can find most breast cancers present at the time of the X-ray, but like many other medical tests, they are not 100 per cent accurate.
Nevertheless, regular mammograms are still the best way for women of detecting breast cancer early, before there are any signs or symptoms. Early detection offers you a better chance of successful treatment and recovery.

Seek medical advice
  Seek advice from your healthcare professional if...
  • a lump in your breast or armpit
  • a lumpy area or thickening anywhere in the breast that feels different from the rest of the breast tissue
  • enlarged glands under either armpit
  • bloodstained nipple discharge
  • any marked change of appearance in a nipple, such as the nipple 'pulling in' or a rash around the nipple
  • differences in skin texture such as puckering or dimpling
  • a change in the size or shape of one breast
  • swelling, thickening or persistent pain in either breast that feels different from pre-menstrual tenderness
  • swelling of the upper arm

Recommended web sites
  The Mammogram

More information about mammograms

Everything you want to know about breast cancer

Provided by Cancer Research UK

Breast Cancer Care

The UK's leading charity for breast cancer support and information

Cancer Backup

Up-to-date information, practical advice and support for cancer sufferers and their families

Breakthrough Breast Cancer

A leading UK charity for breast cancer support
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